Art & Interior Styles

Color Part 2

Favorite Topics - Color Part 2

Color Symbolism
Color symbolism in art and anthropology refers to the use of color as a symbol in various cultures. There is great diversity in the use of colors and their associations between cultures and even within the same culture in different time periods. In fact, the same color may have very different associations within the same culture at any time.
Science of Color
The science of color is sometimes called chromatics. It includes the perception of color by the human eye and brain, the origin of color in materials, color theory in art, and the physics of electromagnetic radiation in the visible range, that is, what we commonly refer to simply as light. The color systems used by scientists and artists are entirely different. An artist will mix blue and yellow paint to get a shade of green; a scientist will mix green and red light to create yellow. The printed page in a magazine is yet another system.
RGB diagram
Scientists recognize the light primaries of red, green and blue. When combined, red and green light rays produce yellow, blue and green produce cyan, red and blue produce magenta. Red, green and blue mix to create white (light).
The CMYK Color System
In the print industry, cyan, magenta, yellow and black are used as the primary colors. When you mix all the colors, the result is gray.
Subtractive Color
Most artists recognize red, yellow and blue as the 3 basic primary colors. These primaries are the pure colors which can not be created by mixing any other colors. Secondary hues are the result of mixing any of the two primaries. Tertiary colors result from mixing the secondary hues.
Chromotherapy
Chromotherapy, sometimes called color therapy, colorology or cromatherapy, is an alternative medicine method. It is claimed that a therapist trained in chromotherapy can use color and light to balance "energy" wherever a person's body be lacking, be it physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental. The practice has been labelled pseudoscientific by its critics.
Color therapy is unrelated to light therapy, a valid and proven form of medical treatment for seasonal affective disorder and a small number of other conditions.
Ayurvedic medicine describes the body as having seven main chakras, which are spiritual centers located along the spine that are associated with a color, function and organ or bodily system.
What is Color Blindness or
Color Vision Deficiency?
Color vision deficiency (also called color blindness) means you cannot see a much narrower range of color. We cannot assume that everyone can see the same colors when decorating a room or selecting artwork. Color blindness occurs due to changes or reduced sensitivity in one or more of the eye's light-sensitive cone cells. These cone cells convert light into neural signals, which are sent to the brain, creating color vision. The most common type is "red-green color blindness", where green and red sensitive cone cells overlap excessively, making these colors appear similar and causing confusion.
- Approximately 1 in 12 men (8%) are color blind.- Approximately 1 in 200 women (0.5%).
What are 4 types of Red-Green Color Vision Deficiencies?
Below are types of Red-Green Color Vision Deficiencies: 1. Deuteranomaly person has a red-green color vision deficiency. It makes certain shades of green look more red and is the most common type.2. Protanomaly persons vision will see certain shades of red look more green and less bright.3. + 4. Protanopia and Deuteranopia both make someone unable to know the difference between red and green at all.
There are now color deficiency glasses that allow most people with red, green, or blue colorblindness or red/green confusion to view a more colorful environment.

How Important is COLOR in Business?

Color matters so much so that research by the secretariat of the Seoul International Color Expo documented 93 percent of test subjects put the highest importance on visual factors when purchasing products. Yet only 6 percent said that the physical feel (sense of touch) was most important. Hearing and smell each drew a meager 1 percent. The below interpretations of colors are based on the typical North American eye. Color interpretation in the Far East, Europe and in Africa, for example, all vary. So before you start changing colors to your products, interior, etc..., its a good idea to know who you are communicating with. Red Red indicates strength, excitement, passion, speed, danger, stimulation, and intensity. Blue Blue indicates coolness, trust, reliability, belonging, consistency, dependability, quietness, and freshness. (Study show that most people select blue as their favorite color) Yellow Yellow indicates cheer, warmth, sunshine, happiness and enlightenment. Green Green indicates abundance, nature, fresh, cool, growth, soothing, refreshing, healing, tranquility, and environment. Black Black indicates power, sophistication, elegance, seductiveness, mystery, strength, magic, and sorrow. White White indicates innocent, purity, clean, youthful, mild, lightweight, pristine, bright, and friendly. Orange Orange indicates vibrancy, playfulness, warmth, energy, inviting, friendly, vital, whimsical and loud. Color and Space Designers can use illusion to make a small room appear larger or a large room appear smaller, emphasize a feature, minimize others, or enhance architectural details. Using pale, light colors will make a room feel larger and create a sense of openness. Painting a ceiling white will make it seem higher, therefore the darker the color on the ceiling the more you will bring it down. Dark or deeper toned colors will make a room seem cozier by creating the visual perception that the walls and ceiling are closer than they are. Using a bold or dramatic color can emphasize an architectural feature or direct the eye to a focal point in the room.

The Sensory Effects of Color

Temperature Warm tones are colors with yellow undertones. To offset a warm room use colors with variations of blues and blue-green on large wall/floor areas. Cool tones are colors with blue undertones. To offset a cool room use colors with variations of reds and red-oranges on large wall/floor areas. Study show men tend to feel color 5 degrees warmer than women. You may want to use cooler colors when specifying to men and warmer undertones for women. Noise High pitched shrill sounds are offset by olive greens. Muffled sounds are countered by lighter colors. Smell Study's show that sweet smells are lessened by greens. Red and pink intensify the sensation of sweetness. Bitter smells may be offset by orange. Solvent, musky, and cloying sweet odors such as: paint, soap, or perfume are offset by yellow, and yet purple will intensify the sensation of these odors. Humidity Dampness may be offset by yellows, yellow oranges, and tans. Dryness may be offset by blues and greens. Weight Dark colors are heavier. Light colors seem less dense and therefore lighter in weight. One of the most interesting examples of color effects is Baker-Miller Pink also known as "drunk tank pink". This color is used to calm violent prisoners in jails. Example: A dentist may use cool colors in her office to give a sense of peace to nervous patients, while a psychologist might use warm colors to evoke more emotional responses from patients. Food and Color Think of the impact color has in restaurants. Warm bright colors, can be found in many fast food restaurants specifically to stimulate the appetite, and create the perception of great tasting food. They are frequently noisy and the customer feels as if they have been there far longer than anticipated. This creates a fast turnover and higher profits. We often find the color red in residential applications in the dining room and kitchen to stimulate appetite. Brain Activity It has been found that exposing a child to primary colors, specifically red, throughout his first year of life can stimulate activity, interest, and double the length and the amount of brain waves in the child. Thus, we have seen over the past decade a transition from mellow soft colors in nurseries to the stimulating primary colors.
Color: affects Part 1, Part 2 (above), Part 3 Home Styles: interior style guide Workshop: learn how to paint watercolors
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